Interview with Eric Kesner of TCOB

[dis] What’s your take on the dark ambient genre? It seems a little esoteric or
self-indulgent when you describe ambient music to someone accustomed to more
radio-friendly material.

[Eric] Well to start off, I very rarely listen to ambient or dark ambient music.
There are people who do some really interesting stuff but for me it’s not
something that I listen to too much. I have to be in the right mood for it
to work for me.

When I describe my music to someone, who you know is not going to know what
ambient or dark ambient is I usually just say it’s sort of soundtrackish.
Like something you’d hear in a movie based in outer space or underwater.

As far as my take on the dark ambient genre I would go with esoteric but I
don’t really see self-indulgent.  To me, the term self-indulgent is really
negative.  I don’t think you can call a whole genre of music
self-indulgent.  Possibly certain people who create the music might be but
that’s a whole different story.  I’d say there would be self-indulgent
people creating all forms of music.  Maybe I’m self-indulgent and that’s why
I have such a negative reaction to the term?

How do you approach songwriting? Is it fully improvised or is there a
structure or theme you create beforehand? What inspires you to write music
and in what capacity do you wish your audience would hear your music?

Starting out I used to have ideas of what something would sound like but by
the time I got half way done it was way off in another direction.  There are
a few occasions where I have a thought for a piece and work towards that but
the majority of my stuff I would say is sort of a journey and I just go
where ever it takes me.  Not to sound all mystical and corny but I think
that’s a good explanation of how I record my stuff.

What inspires me?  I would say it’s usually other music.  If I hear
something that really hits me I’ll get really inspired to record.  And that
usually happens while I’m taking a bath for some reason.  I should probably
take more baths because I haven’t recorded anything new in a really long
time.

I think the best way to listen to my music is probably just hanging out with
headphones on.  There’s a lot going on in each track.  I’m just always
blown away and happy whenever someone is listening to my stuff.  I still get
shocked when people email me and tell me that they listen to my music and
they really like it or it’s done something for them.  I never expected
people to want to listen to TCOB but there’s a small audience out there
which is still just crazy to me.

I would say the most popular musician with whom I could compare your music
and concepts is Brian Eno. Does he play a role in your sound? What are some
of your influences?

That’s a very huge compliment.  I don’t even know what to say to that.  I
knew Brian Eno from Roxy Music but I actually didn’t know about Brian Eno’s
ambient work or any “ambient” music until a few years after I started
recording.  The only thing that I ever bought from Eno is “Music For
Airports” which is beautiful.  When I started recording I was all about
repetition and to hear that first track on MFA was really great.  Just the
minimalism and the repetition was what I was all about.  When I heard it, I
thought he had balls for putting something out like that.  Something that
you know the majority of people aren’t going to get.  Musically, it’s very
simple but the idea behind it was genius.  Minimal and Repeat.  I haven’t
really listened to enough Eno to say he’s played a role in my sound.

My influences are bands like My Bloody Valentine, Bowery Electric, Windy &
Carl, King Tubby, Pole, Cocteau Twins, Flying Saucer Attack, early
Pink Floyd.  Low was a
big influence early on just because they were creating their own thing.
Music that was really, really slow and they would play this stuff out live
and there would be people who would get it and there were people who would
get pissed and it didn’t affect the band.  They did this music and didn’t care
what anyone thought about it. So not only the ultra slow pace of the music
was influential but the attitude they had about creating music.  Of
course I could be way off base and Low went home and cried every
night.

What’s a live show like? Do you do collaborations with other artists or are
you primarily solo?

I really love playing live.  Shows always seem to go over really well for
me.  Maybe because they see a guy with a guitar on stage and it sounds
nothing like a guitar so it’s fascinating for them.  I remember in 1996, I
saw Windy & Carl and had no idea who they were.  I thought they were a folk
duo with a name like that.  But when they started to play my jaw hit the
floor.  I’d never heard a guitar sound like that and I was just shell
shocked.  So I think maybe there’s some of that.  People standing there
trying to figure out what’s going on?  Live, the sound is not as dark as the
studio stuff.  It’s much more ethereal.  I’m actually playing my first show in
about a year in a couple days and I’m trying to come up with some
ideas to make it
more interesting.

I’ve done a couple collabs but it’s mostly just me.  I played with Ben
Fleury-Steiner from Gears Of Sand a couple years ago which was a lot
of fun.  A friend of mine, Nick Bradley from the band Lake and Oceans
and I are trying to get something going with myself on guitar, him on
guitar or bass and a drummer which would
be a lot of fun.

What’s your guitar setup? Feel free to go into as much or as little detail
as you want.

I just looked at my set up and I’m actually kind of shocked and
embarrassed for some reason that I have six delay pedals.  A Loop
Station, a little Wah in some stuff I do, some Reverb, sometimes some
Pitch Shifter.  I think that’s it?

Besides music, what else occupies your time?

Well I have four kids so that takes up a LOT of time.  Could be why I
put out an album every six years.  I love to play basketball.  I just
started going back to school this semester which has been interesting.
And I’m always searching for new music and going record shopping.

______

Big thanks to Eric for the interview.

True Colour of Blood – All Of The True Things I’m About To Tell You Are Lies

True Colour of Blood – All Of The True Things I’m About To Tell You Are Lies (2008)

Dark ambient is a peculiar genre of music. Generally, it involves extended sections of sound that capitalize on a texture, tone or concept with very little movement. Atmosphere is the name of the game; certainly not not traditional rock song structure or radio-friendly lyricism. The best musicians in this vein are able to pull off creepy movie soundtrack tunes without coming off as cheesy or conjuring images of trick-or-treaters. Thankfully, All Of The True Things I’m About To Tell You Are Lies is a well-crafted and hypnosis-inducing album that ambient music fans will enjoy.

Lies opens with the sparse but dense Upon These Shores, a 4-minute track that could serve as an introduction to ambient music as a whole. First-time ambient listeners will notice each track melts and blends into each other, so the roughly 75 minute album comes off as one large piece with several large movements — one aspect of ambient albums I love. What makes any body of atmospheric music worth experiencing is a variety of sound. Lies delivers. The 16-minute track Of has some truly ethereal, subtly swirling soundscapes; Once Was Blind But Now I’m Deaf is a little harsher with yawning choral sounds; the titular ending track is surprisingly upbeat and reminiscent of a darker Saxon Shore. OK, not that upbeat.

It likely goes without saying, but if you’re new to ambient music, don’t expect musical hooks or even an underlying beat. Lies is stark and minimalist from beginning to end. According to TCoB’s Myspace page, guitarist Eric Kesner relies solely on guitars to create massive, pad-like walls of reverberating sound — an accomplishment worth noting in 2010, where an iPod is capable of producing dance beats and recreating sounds of old synths. I do suspect some digital trickery in a few tracks, notably the second track’s random blasts of white noise…unsettling and unexpected while wearing headphones, to say the least.

Succinctly: Lies is an extremely patient and deliberate exploration of sound a la Brian Eno on tranquilizers. Not nearly as dark as the title would suggest — I’d wager Lustmord and Tim Hecker are much darker — but perfectly at home on a dreary winter day with a book.

Get a taste of TCoB at its Myspace page.

Happy 2 ▫ 0 ▫ 1 ▫ 0

And the prize for the latest well-wishing for a new year goes to me! My last checkup/post on this blog was near the end of July, 2009. Goodness. So much music and general news upon which to catch! I’ve got album reviews, the NST feature and who knows what else.

If anyone out there is reading, leave a comment and perhaps an album you want me to hear and/or review. Next up will be True Colour of Blood, because I promised them some action way back when.

Oh! My girlfriend and I made sushi for the first time last night. Tips: Don’t bone the rice recipe. Prep all the veggies, meats and sauces while the rice cooks. And for god’s sake, get a bamboo mat. It was still delicious!

Springtime

I’ll get back into the swing of things soon. I’ve become a lazy and blog-neglecting sack since Februrary or so. Meanwhile, here are some videos that are totally suck-proof.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2b3Y6-2T4FI

http://www.vimeo.com/2264687

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvg5t3eIkNE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OdRP3dQ9QOM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VqMh2ckyAg

NIN and Boris, in concert.

I don’t have any words that can convey tonight’s experience. Just get a ticket and go if you haven’t already.

B.B. King – One Kind Favor

B.B. King – One Kind Favor (2008 )

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s get this out of the way first: Riley B. King is a god among men.

Age has a way of robbing some of the best singers of their most personal instrument. But B.B. King’s 82-year-old voice sounds the best to date on this year’s One Kind Favor. With a catalog as large as King’s, that’s a bold statement, but the 12-track disc is definitely a treat for R&B/soul blues fans.

Probably the most well known pioneer of Memphis, piano and delta blues, King struck a chord outside the realm of blues with his cover of “The Thrill is Gone” in 1969. The primary elements that made the song famous – singing guitar lines, a strong rhythm section and a voice thicker and sweeter than honey – haven’t changed in the past four decades. One Kind Favor sounds big and authentic enough that one would swear it was released in 1952, with just a touch of added studio polish.

As is the standard for most blues albums, King covers standards from his heroes T-Bone Walker and Blind Lemon Jefferson , opening with “See That My Grave is Kept Clean,” a slower bop/swing piece that showcases King’s commanding yet sultry voice and complimentary guitar. It’s almost chilling to hear the old man sing about preparing for death, but it lends a certain morbid authenticity to the tune. Did I mention that King has the best voice this side of the Mississippi (or anywhere else for that matter)?

The remaining 11 songs are a return to King’s big band blues roots, giving One Kind Favor that vintage but timeless flavor. Parts smoky ballad (T-Bone Walker’s “Waiting For Your Call,” “Tomorrow Night”) and straight-ahead blues (“The World Gone Wrong,” “Backwater Blues”), it’s a refreshing listen in a sea of overprocessed and trite pop albums.

If you’re new to the blues, you might find that some tracks sound similar to each other, so this isn’t an album to spin all at once. Instead, sample a few tunes at a time to get the feeling behind the music for best results.

One Kind Favor proves that King is still the king — it’s the best from King in the past decade, if not his career. Don’t hesitate to pick it up as a longtime blues fan or a newcomer to the genre.

Tides – Resurface

Tides – Resurface (2005)

If there’s any theme in the albums I’ve reviewed so far, it’s the balance of repetition and development. Resurface by post-rock/metal group Tides showcases a scant 6 tunes in just under 50 minutes, but each piece is a unique oblation to growling, low-tempo sludge that Isis, Sleep and Electric Wizard made totally awesome.

Resurface is essentially everything I wanted out of the experimental, instrumental side of Tool, but better (I’m thinking of the holy trinity of Disposition, Reflection and Triad from Lateralus, which was my first exposure to instrumental prog metal whateveryouwannacallit years ago). Man, I hate comparing a band’s sound to another’s, but I’m learning. Anyway, each song has several movements – mountains of sound rise and fall; low-tuned guitars, deep drums and rumbling bass require eviction-level volumes and a capable subwoofer.

Nonstop destruction isn’t the name of the game, though. I love the arrangement on Resurface. Starting things out right, the 12-minute “Resurface” hits hard and doesn’t let up. Honestly, I don’t think guitars were ever meant to sound this thick, but I’m perfectly fine with that. “By The Droves” takes a step back with dancing melodies and ambient drones. “Aurora” might be my favorite on the album – I’m a sucker for the snaky rhythm riffs, echoing leads and the monstrous breakdown/climax at the 5:20 mark. The shoreside sounds in the intro of the fourth track, “Sirens Fade,” give way to a tribal rhythm section. The clean, resonant layers of guitar (feedback, reverb and volume swells put to amazing effect here) evoke a serene yet dark aural landscape. Tides picks it up again with “Wash Away,” bringing back dense rhythms and intriguing progressions throughout 11 minutes – really fun to play along with.

Instrumental albums have a large void to fill. Groups with vocalists often can get away with flubs on an instrument or hide a flaw underneath vocals, but you have to stay tight if you’re all instrumental. Tides is tight. Locked down, cemented, playing as one – perfectly together. At the same time, layered instruments give Tides’ sound such an open, airy feeling, exhibited perfectly on the quieter tracks. Likewise, instrumental albums often need direction. The closer “The Other Shore” does just that – it shows you the door, says thanks and kicks ass at the same time.

Beg, borrow or steal buy this album. Listen when you’re angry, overjoyed, overworked, sexed, stoned, whatever. It’s a work of art. Just make sure you have time to devote to it. I read once that the sound of industrial droners Sunn O))) was the sound of earth being created. If that’s true, Resurface is the sound of the universe coming together.

I’m not dead.

Still kicking around. Finished up an internship; vacationed in Colorado; house-sat; moved crap to a new house; painted a lot of said house; got books for school; dropped a class and sold back a book; buying more books tomorrow. I feel bad for not finishing the NST feature in the last post, so I’ll really try to get crackin’ at some point. Also in the future: Tides’ Resurface.

Yang – A Complex Nature — and NST feature!

Yang – A Complex Nature (2004)

At the risk of sounding completely pretentious, Yang is the best jazzy instrumental prog band you’ve never heard of — unless you’re 1) a big prog rock fan living in France, 2) a dedicated prog rock nerd living elsewhere or 3) you entered King Crimson into your Pandora station (guilty). Band leader and guitarist Frederic L’Epee has a lot of experience under his belt and while he gives a nod to Robert Fripp in tone and technique at times, Yang has developed a unique and thunderously engaging sound.

A Complex Nature opens with “Les Deux Mondes” (The Two Worlds) with a cyclical pattern of distorted harmonics that drive the tune throughout, joined shortly after by slow-tempo thudding drums and a neck-humbucker-with-tone-rolled-down lead that immediately calls Fripp to mind (good luck searching for those damn harmonics in standard tuning, by the way — more on that later). I have some homework to do yet on the other members of Yang, but L’Epee, much like Fripp, likes to sprinkle diminished triads throughout lead and rhythm work, making for a refreshing, fluid and jazzy approach to what could easily be a bog-standard rock solo. “Les Deux Mondes” is a heavier rock piece that opens the album up well and sets the tone for the next few tunes.

“Soulterrain” is #2, featuring twin staccato guitar rhythms dipped in reverb and a simple bassline. It’s a bit faster than “Les Deux Mondes;” it’s an exercise in syncopation and each guitar works with/against each other in true Fripp/Belew-era Crimson fashion. There’s a lot to like in this one — even a simple scalar pattern rocks in the right context and L’Epee proves it.

A bit later is “Compassion,” one of my favorites on the album, It starts out with a mellow, ringing arpeggio pattern before the lead kicks in — what sounds like a descending minor pattern, but with paced, jumping octaves. It took me by surprise at first and still remains a pretty exciting listen. Very tasty lead work. The rhythm section is incredibly solid, leaving enough room for fills without overbearing the listener. The same is true throughout the album.

I could go on and on about this album and give a play-by-play — the flamenco-y, Wes Montgomery-esque midsection of “Manchild;” the poppy “Impatience” with some odd, later-period Led Zeppeliny harmonies; the kick-ass riffage in “Le Masque Rouge;” the tour-de-force closer “Orgueil.” But this is an album to be experienced. There’s keen musicianship, there are subtle touches that recall myriad influences and there’s superb songwriting. Get it.

L’Epee was awesome enough to respond to a message I sent to him on YouTube. I inquired about some “Les Deux Mondes” theory and about his rig. Hopefully he won’t mind if I post those messages here:

Les 2 Mondes is built on different modes and played with New Standard Tuning (C-G-D-A-E-G from bass to treble).
So the piece is in C, but mainly based on a lydian with minor 7th (C-D-E (or Eb)-F#-G-A-Bb) at the begining. Sometimes back to normal C, Lydian F (still C) along with some appoggiaturas (D#)and so on. But if you don’t play it on a NST guitar, you’ll have real difficulties.

If when listening to a NST tune you recognise [the tuning], it’s most of the time because people use it the same way they use OST, with the same finger patterns. NST must be used like on a cello. I’ve really learned to play it by trying to play Bach cello suites. The other reason why you didn’t notice it on The Two Worlds is that I often write music before to play it on the guitar. If it is too low or notes are too wide apart from each other, I use NST.

I use a Les Paul Custom and an ESP “the eclipse” (ancient model) for NST.
As amplifier : Fender Twin Reverb or Blues Deluxe (or Deville)
Actually I use Blues Deluxe amp on recordings (both albums) and Twin Rev. on stage.
A Proco Rat, and Lexicon “Jam Man” for loops and delay.

All the best

Frederic

What’d I tell you? The dude’s a class act. Check out A Complex Nature and look for Machines this year. Details on Yang’s YouTube page and MySpace.

_______________________

I decided to make this a two-part feature with a little introduction to New Standard Tuning, an exciting approach to guitar tuning spearheaded by none other than Mr. Fripp. “Les Deux Mondes,” according to L’Epee, is the only tune on A Complex Nature in NST, but it’s worth exploring just to find those opening harmonics. For more on NST, check out YouTube for examples, especially the awesome Level Five (new link: Level Five) and Fripp’s League of Crafty Guitarists (damn copyright claims: League search) series in five parts.

NST for guitar is C G D A E G, or the low E -2 steps, A -1 step, D stays the same, G +1 step, B +3 steps and the high E +2 steps. It’s best to have a dedicated guitar for experimenting, but you can usually tune to NST without damaging your guitar. Get a string set with a heavy bottom gauge and a lighter top so the tension is even.

Once in NST, you’ll notice that standard chords and scale patterns obviously don’t work the same way. I have a cheap SG guitar and I won’t mind if NST throws it for a loop, so I’ll get it in tune and get an exercise of some sort up within the next few weeks.

Nine Inch Nails – The Slip

Nine Inch Nails – The Slip (2008 )

So far, Trent Reznor and Co. have had a prolific 2008. Riding on the tail of the inspiring, instrumental quad pack Ghosts I-IV, NIN’s The Slip is a return to the almost-evil, glitchy post-discorock NIN, in the same vein as Year Zero and With Teeth (side note: any time NIN pairs up with the god that is Adrian Belew, we’re sure to have a winner).

It’s clear Reznor is headed in a direction; I’m not sure to where it will ultimately lead, but it’s a direction for sure. Gone are the days, it seems, of an angrier, more intense Reznor. While I’m not a fan of Year Zero and With Teeth, the albums have some indisputable hits for sure. But I haven’t heard anything quite like The Downward Spiral, which I will always consider to be the pinnacle of NIN’s work along with The Fragile. Spiral’s “Mr. Self Destruct,” “Heresy” and “Ruiner,” along with Fragile’s “Just Like You Imagined” and “The Big Come Down” are simply all-time favorites — intensity and a real devotion to the music condensed to a plastic disc.

But I like this direction Reznor is taking with NIN. It’s a bit more dance oriented, glorifying the beat and rhythm over the truly fucked up and broken noises from before 2000. And more dancing is never, ever an issue. My only gripe is not having something to sink my teeth into, so to speak. I like to grab my ‘phones and chill out with layers of noise, tones and textures (music snobbery’d). NIN’s trademark is enabling listeners to do just that, but I feel as if the opportunities are disappearing slowly. Then again, Ghosts more than fits that bill, so why even bring that up? On the other hand, “Corona Radiata” and “The Four of Us are Dying” are delights for ‘phone nuts like myself.

Something I need to work on when it comes to listening to music is lyrics. Just as a precursory analysis, I can tell Reznor has grown from the thin-voiced addict to the mass of sexy man he is today. Not only in how he sounds but what he’s writing about — he’s almost showing a few more signs of hope and faith in The Slip (cue the NINsy ballad “Lights in the Sky”). You can blame the drugs, but Reznor’s lyrics often rely on cliches to get points across. The portrait of Reznor as a dark, dirty and drug-addled rock star is tough to shake, and stuff like “Closer” didn’t help. I’m going to upplay my weakness with lyrics and stop right there.

The NIN trademarks of textures and chaotic tides of noise are here in droves, but it seems Trent is playing it safe with sounds he’s been using for years. Part of the appeal of Fragile and Spiral were the destructive and new quality of the sounds. There’s the “if it ain’t broke…” mentality, but I have a feeling he doesn’t roll that way. There are some fun and surprising edits in “999,999″ and “Head Down,” but nothing has wowed me like my two favorite albums. I’m waiting for the next Spiral, much like I’m waiting for the next Lateralus and the next Mer de Noms…

In the end, The Slip is a good album if you really dug With Teeth and some stuff on Ghosts. I’m glad NIN is in the studio and on the road; I’m doubly glad Reznor is churning out material like crazy.

Also, I gotta mention The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust, which has Reznor’s paws all over it. It was a great intro to Saul Williams.